Know before you close
Closing costs are the fees and expenses you pay at the end of a real estate transaction — on top of your down payment. In Florida, these typically run 2–5% of the purchase price for buyers, and 1–3% for sellers. Here's a detailed breakdown.
Loan Origination Fee
Typically 0.5–1% of loan amount
Title Insurance (Lender's Policy)
Required by lender in Florida
Title Search & Closing Fee
Attorney/title company fees
Appraisal Fee
Lender-ordered home appraisal
$400–$600
Home Inspection
General + wind mitigation
$400–$700
Recording Fees
County recording of deed & mortgage
$50–$100
Survey Fee
Boundary survey of property
$300–$500
Escrow / Prepaids
Insurance, taxes, interest in escrow
Estimated Total Buyer Closing Costs
*Estimates based on typical South Florida transactions. Actual costs vary by lender, title company, and specific transaction. Ask your lender for a Loan Estimate for exact figures.
In most cases, no — you'll need to pay closing costs out of pocket or negotiate with the seller to cover some of them. Some loan programs (like FHA and VA) allow a seller concession up to 6% of the sale price to cover buyer closing costs.
Florida custom is for the seller to pay the owner's title insurance policy and documentary stamps on the deed. The buyer pays for the lender's title policy, recording fees, and their own closing costs. Commission is always negotiable. Everything else is typically negotiated in the contract.
Documentary stamps (doc stamps) are a Florida state tax on real estate transactions. The seller pays $0.70 per $100 of the sale price on the deed. On a $400,000 sale, that's $2,800. This is standard and required by law.